Improvement in whistles for steam-engines



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIGE JOHN MURRAY, OF NEY YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN WHISTLES FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,875, dated October 16, 1866.

To all whom t may concer/n.-

Beit known that I, JOHN MURRAY, of the city, county, and State ot' New York, have invented a new and usei'ul Improvement in histles for Steam and other Engines; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying'drawings, making part of this specification, in whieh- Figure l is a top view of my invention, and represents by dotted lines the lever removed from the post for purposes hereinafter eX- plained; Fig. 2, a side elevation, and Fin'. 3 a lol'igitudinal section ot' same.

This invention relates to a peculiar arrangement of mechanism in connection with the bell of a steam-whistle, by which a variety of sounds or scale of notes may be produced, adapted to the conveyance of preeoncerted signals; and consists in applying to the bell ot' the whistle (of a steam-engine) a sleeve, which slides freely on the exterior (or interior as the case may be) of the. bell, said sleeve being actuated by levers under the control ot'the engineer, in such manner that the engineer can convey his orders to the brakeman and other attendants otl a railroad or Steamship with accuracy and facility.

Having described the nature ot my invention, I will now describe its construction and mode of operation.

In the dra-wings, A represents the steampipe, leading from the dome or boiler ot' a steam-engine, and to which the whistle is attached. B is the hexagonal neck, containing a female screw, b', for connecting the whistle to the steam-pipe. G is the cup, which forms, with the tongue or plate I), the circular aperture or steam-exit E. F is the spindle, which sustains the bell G ot' thewhistle. H is a sleeve, which encompasses the bell G, and slides freely thereon, the said sleeve being sustained and actuated by a gimbal or set of levers, I K, the outer or main lever, K, being sustained by and hinged to an arm, L, projecting from the top ot' the spindle F, as shown in the drawings. This outer lever has a han- I dlc, I', and near to the handle, but on its inner side, a small projection or stop, m, which enters corresponding recesses u u a2 n3 n4, Sic., in a post, O. To the post O is attached a spring, P, the object of the spring being to press the lever K against the post O, and, aided by the stop lmy and recess oz, to hold the lever K, and, of course, thc sleeve I-I, in any desired position in relation to the cup O of the whistle.

rFhe operation ot' my invention is as follows: Suppose the leverK to be at its highest point, the stop my in the upper recess u, and the sleeve H resting on the cup O. Now, by lowering the lever so that the stop m may enter the recess'nl, the sleeve will be raised from the cup, and a sound produced corresponding (as it were) to D in alt ofthe musical gamut; and by lowering the lever still more, so as to permit the stop m to enter the recess n?, a cha-nge of sound similar to O ot' the said gamut .will be produced, and so on, and vice versa, until the notes ol the musical scale may be sounded, (or the bell Gr may slide on its spindle, and thus perform the oiiice of the sleeve H, if preferred;) and by a little practical use of my invention the engineer will be enabled to vary the sounds, so as to convey his orders to the bralielnan and other attendants, as well as preconeerted signals on approaching danger, calls for help, Snc. Furthermore, it a more rapid change ot sound may be desired, in this case the engineer merely removes the lever K from the post O, and instead ot' the lever uses the links R R, suspended from said lever, as shown in Fig. 2.

Having described my invention, whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The sliding-sleeve H, the gimbal or levers I K, the post O, and spring I), when in combination with the whistle ot' a steam or other engine, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereot' I have hereunto set my signature.

JOHN MURRAY.

fitnessesz JAMES BURiNs, A. NEILL. 

